Floridian family purchase The Chronicle of The Horse

The Chronicle of The Horse has been sold to Mark Bellissimo, whose company owns and operates the world’s largest equestrian event each year in Florida.

The 76-year-old publication, which is based in The Plains, is one of the leading publications for equestrian sports. Its website (chronoofhorse.com), with 2.95 million unique visitors and more than 70 million pageviews a year, is the top rated equestrian news site not related to horse racing.

“I’m so proud to be part of the long tradition of the Chronicle which is a leader in its industry,” Bellissimo said in a statement.. “I am committed to keeping the organization’s core mission of being the most trusted resource for equestrian sport by offering independent journalism and the highest editorial integrity

The acquisition also includes the Chronicle’s vintage black and white photo library, which has followed major sporting events since the late 1930s, and a digital publicationm The Chronicle Connection, the winner of the 2012 Eddies award for editorial excellence.

The Chronicle will be introducing new products and services over the next few months, including an enhanced website and state-of-the-art mobile applications.